November 3 - Friday

What an exciting week.

During the Monday morning staff meeting they talked about a coming trip to the Yukon, but I found that it was a booked flight and I couldn't be included. That afternoon, the superintendent came down to my office to say that because so many people needed to go they would switch to a twin engine that could carry 8 people and I could get to the western villages. I would go to Shageluk and then try to get to Grayling. (two of the four villages in the Yukon area)

On Tuesday, we got all the books back into my office from the hall - mentioned the upcoming museum openhouse.

Wednesday morning 6 of us left for the Yukon, over an hour away. We first stopped in Grayling for the superintendent and a new special education teacher to deplane. When we got to Shageluk, there was not one there to pick two of us up nor to delivey a Shag teacher bound for Holy Cross. With the village 4 miles from the airstrip all we could do was wait, and wait we did for 45 minutes. Finally the pilot insisted that he had to get on to Holy Cross. The two people who got off at Holy Cross promised to phone Shageluk of our coming and we were in the air again. This time, the teacher needing to left was there with the driver, which meant the plane had to go back to Holy Cross again. That particular airline doesn't use the radio frequency needed to contact a village and Shageluk kept waiting to hear our plane was coming in. That little mix up cost the school district over $300.00.

I feel in love with Shageluk, a village of about 100 people and mostly log buildings. The teacher who has managed the library does a fabulous job, and her aid was so receptive to any suggection I made. They have asked if I could come back before Thanksgiving and will schedule their RIF (Reading is Fundamental - a federal program to put books in the hands of poverty level children) night according to when I can come. It will give me an opportunity to meet with and speak to the parents.